Controlling apparatus



April 19, 1927. 1,625,000

E. A. ULMANN GONTROLLING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 20, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 STEAM Apil 19, 1927. E. A. ull-MANN .1,625,000

CONTROLLI NG APPARATUS Filed Aug. 20, 19234 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Cri Patented Aer. 19, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT EDGAR A. ULMANN. OF LOS ANGELES. CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO TOWER MANUFACTURING CO. INC., F NEW YORK, N.

'rIoN oF NEW YORK.

A CORPORA- CONTROLLING APPARATUS.

Application filed August 2t), 1923. Serial No. 658,233.

My invention relates to ii'uproveineuts in controlling apparatus, and, although capable of different applications, is particularly well adapted t'or the automatic regulation and control ot temperature or pressure in treating chambers, for example, vulcanizers.

In the United States Patent. issued to Albin J. Nelson, No. 1,439,750, dated Dec. 2G, 1922, there is described a controlling apparatus which includes a bulb insertable in the treating chamber, which bulb contains a supply of ether or other volatile fluid and is connected to a. diaphragm motor actuating directly, that is to say, by means of its own power, a main valve located in the conduit by which pressure or heating fluid is conducted into the chamber. Such apparatus is quite successful, but by reason ot' the direct action of the diaphragm motor upon the Valve, the diaphragm motor mustlnccessarily expand or contract through a considerable range of movement in order to close or fully open the main valve which it actuates. Hence such an apparatus,'which in the trade is known as an airless controller is inherently less sensitive than one in which the diaphragm niotor merely opens and closes a connection controlling a source of power through which the main supply valve is operated. However, the so-called aiiless type of controller, by reason ot` its not requiring an auxiliary apparatus or other source. of secondary power, for example, compressed air, other than what is contained in the bulb, is comparatively. simple and does not require as much attention or adjustment as one of the more complicated and more sensitive air controllers.

The principal obJect of the present invention is to provide, in connection with a.`

direct action control apparatus, means operated by the pressure ot the fluid supply for actuating the main val ve by which the sup.-

ply of such fluid to the treat-ing chamber is regulated or controlled; to provide a. system and construction of the class described which shall be extremely sensitive and responsive to slight changes ot temperature or pressure in the treating chamber; to provide a system and apparatus which is simple in design and to manufacture, rugged and i'eliable in operation, while being inexpensive and convenient to maintain in operation, and in general to provide animproved svstem and apparatus ol the character ret'erred In the drawings which illustrate the invention as applied to an apparatus Jroiregulating the temperature or pressure oll steam in a. vulcanizing chamber,

Fig. l is a vertical section taken through my improved controlling apparatus. A

Fig. 2 is a side elevation ot the same shown partly in section. and

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view showing the general arrangement ot the apparatus.

In the drawings, Il) represents a tank or chamber, tor example, a vulcaiiizer into which'steam is supplied through a conduit l1. In said conduit l1, there is interposed a controlling valve mechanism designated as a whole at. 12, which valve/l2 is automatically regulated or actuated by means ot the diaphragm motor or airless' controller 13. A s in said Nelson Patent No. 1,439,750, the diaphragm motor or capsule is connected by means ot' a small bore tube 14 to the bulb l5 containing the usual volatile tluid which, in its expansion or contraction. actuatcs the bellows capsule lt. Also, as in said Nelson patent, when the temperature or pressure in the Achamber l() has been raised beyond a` certain predetermined amount for which the apparatus is organized or adjusted, the actuating rod l'Tiwill be operatively connected to the motor capsule.

In the embodiment shown, the housingY which contains both the main valve and its actuating apparatus comprises a-.pair ot aligned nipples 18 and 19 connected respectively by uiiions V20 and 9.1, to the pipe l2 leading into the tank or chamber l() and the pipe 23 which is connected to the supply pipe ll. liiterii'iediate the nipples 18 ,and 19 ot' the valve housing, there is `formed a partition Q4 through which is drilled orcast a. port or opei'iing 25. the upper end olf said opening 25 constituting a valve seat: 2G. lVith said valve seat 2G there cooperates a mushroom valve 27, the body ot which extends down through the port 25 and is formed with a lower reduced extension 28. Said extension 2S rests upon and engages the top of a. pistonelement adapted to niove up or down in a cylinder St) which is made as a lower or depending extension ot the valve housing. The lower end of said piston\29 is formed with a depending exlll() tension 32 having an enlargement 33 thereon constituting a plunger piston operating in a dash pot cylinder 34 which is bored 'in a thimble member 35 screwed into the lower end of the cylinder 30.

0n the upper end of the valve housing there` is formed an integral upwardly extending nipple member 36 threaded to accommodate a plug 37, said plug havingv formed on its underside a reduced extension 38 aligned with an extension 39 projecting upwardl from the valve 27 and formed therewit A coil compression spring 40 positioned on, and aligned, with extensions 38 and 39 on the plug 37 and valve 27 rev spectively, serves at all times to maintain the valve body extension 28 inengagement with the upper side ot the piston 29 through which'the valve 27 is actuated.

Through the center of the plug 37 there is drilled a vertically extending port 41, the

upper end of which is formed with a valve .seat 42 and with said Valve seat there cooperates a pilot valve member 43. In the upper end of the top nipple 36 of the valve housing there is threaded and secured a hollow bonnet 44, said bonnet havingan upper extension 45 on which the lower-end of the airless controller 46 is rigidly mounted. That portion of the bonnet extension 45 which extends-above the securing nut 47 is equipped with a gland or stuliing box 48A through which slides the actuating rod 17 of the motor capsule 16.

.The lower end of the stem 17 does noty etend all the way through the top of the bonnet 44, but only far enough through the gland 48 to conveniently engage the upper end of a stem 43 formed with and extending coaxially upwardly from valve body 43 into the a erture drilled in the bonnet under rodA 17.

' what less in diameter than the bore in which itcslides, so that there will be nothing to interfere with the proper centering of the valve body 43 on its valve seat 42. Such f centering is effected by forming on the lower end of the Valve body 43 a depending luted greater volume thanthe displacement of the full'stroke of piston 29 and is connected to the interior of cylinder 30 below piston 29 by means of a conduit 50 (see Fig. 2) drilled l or `cast in the body-of the valve housing.

' The pilot valve 43 is in eect contained within said conduit, the space 49merely constituting an enlargement thereof. l

Describing the operationof the apparatus,

referably the stem 43a is some-v the drawings illustrateethe condition existing when the steam is turned on through valve 51. As soon as this occurs, steam will enter the nipple 19 and low up through the pilot port 41 into space49tlirougl1 conduit 50 into cylinder 30 under piston 29, raising the latter and elevating valve 27 into the fully open position-as shown in Fig. l. Steam will thus How intothe receptacle or chamber 10.

lVhen the steam has heated the interior of the vulcanizing chamber, and bulb l5 sul'- licienlly, the volatile-[luid contained within said'bulb l5 will cause the capsule 1G to expand and, as described in the said Nelson patent, alter the expansion, due to risein ten'iperaturc, has reached a certain amount,

the lower end of the capsule will engage and push down the actuating rod 17 against the pressure ol the relatively weak normalizing spring 52. It will be understood, however, that the initial downward movement ot' the actuating rod 17 has no ett'eet upon the valve 27 for the reason that port 4l is still open.

However, when the temperature reaches the point Jfor which the apparatus is organized or adjusted, the pilot valve 43 will engage the seat 42 and prevent further entry of steam into conduit 50. lVhen this occurs, because of radiation and conduction of heat from the valve, the lsteam contained within space 49, and any steam which may be in the cylinder 3() will condense, thus permitting the pressure of' steam on the upper side of piston 29 to depress the latter, permitting valve 27 to close. lt may be stated that the function ol the relatively light spring 40 is not primarily to close the valve 27, vbut is primarily to maintain the valve body 28 in engagement with piston 29, although said spring assists somewhatin the closing of the valve. The steam pressure in the supply pipe 23 is chiefly depended upon to close the valve 27.

When the temperature in the vulcanizing chamber 10 falls below the point for which the apparatus is adjusted, theicapsule 16 will contract permitting the spring 52 to open pilot valve 43 slightly, thus allowing steamU4 from supply pipe 23 again to flow through conduit k50 andfrase piston 29 thus opening valve 27 and causing a further supply of steam to enter the treating chamber. It-will be observed that an extremely minute movement of the pilot valve 43 isall that is necessary in order to ei'eet opening or closingpof the main control valve 27 while at they same time the capsule 16 is not called upon to perform the relatively heavy work of opening and closing said main valve 27, this being performed :by the steam itself operating upon piston 29.

The described ldetailsof constructionand operation are merely illustrative of a single vapplication. of my invention, the scope'vof which is to be/determined by reference to the appended claim, said claim 'being construed as broadly as possible, consistent with the state of the art.

I claim as my invention:

In a heat control system the combination with a steam supply, oi' a Valve casing .interposed in the supply line having'a valve seat and a main valve cooperating therewith, a separate piston member coaxial with said valve and resilient means pressing said valve and piston into engagement, a cylinder for said valve and piston, me'anslconnecting one side of Said .pilot valve to the steam supply,-

means connecting the other side of said pilot valve to the cylinder on the side of said piston opposite said main valve, and coaxial thermostatically operated means for actuating said pilot valve to control the pressure on said piston and operate said main valve by the steam from said supply line.

EDGAR-A. VI'iIiMA-rua. 

